1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with a holder for pacemaker wires often implaced in post-operative heart patients. More particularly, the invention pertains such a holder which is designed to safely and positively retain the pacemaker wires and their connection leads for easy identification and deployment thereof to allow the wires to be attached to an external pacemaker.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many cases of heart surgery, the surgeon will attach pacemaker wires to a patient's heart. These wires pass through a skin opening, normally in the patient's chest, and are adapted to be connected as necessary to an external pacemaker. Thus, during the course of a heart patient's recuperation, it may be necessary to attach the patient to a pacemaker to in order to restart or adjust the rhythm of the patient's heart. This may be done on a regular or periodic basis and may also be required in emergency situations.
In the past, the external portions of pacemaker wires have been simply taped to the patient's chest in needle caps or gloves. This is an unsatisfactory practice because the wires can become tangled and may be difficult to identify (i.e., normally the two wires are attached to the atrium and ventricle of the heart respectively, and it is important that an attendant be able to recognize the connection site of each wire Furthermore, the conventional practice provides no assurance that the electrical contacts at the ends of the wires remain clean and readily accessible.
There is accordingly a need in the art for an improved holder or securement device for pacemaker wires which overcomes the problems associated with the improvisations of the prior art.